The Callisto Protocol Was Free This Week and Horror Gamers Noticed

For a brief window this week, The Callisto Protocol was available for free on the Epic Games Store. Not a demo. Not a trial. The full game, permanently added to libraries for anyone who claimed it in time.

That matters because this is a proper survival horror experience, rooted in sci-fi dread and brutal atmosphere. Giving a game like this away instantly pulls in players who might have skipped it at full price. Horror games live and die on word of mouth, and moments like this create second lives for titles that deserve another look.

There is something fitting about horror spreading this way. One day it’s sitting behind a paywall. The next day it’s everywhere. People talk. Clips get shared. Fear spreads organically.

Even after the free window closed, the ripple effect remained. That is the power of horror when access barriers drop.